Summary:  The Cartwrights become involved in the tragedy of a local family.

Rating: PG, Word Count: 1757

Sarah

The snow crunched under her bare feet as she ran.

“Run. Keep running,” she told herself.

The cold hit her lungs and made them ache. She wheezed as she continued running. She looked behind her but saw no one. She dared not stop for fear of being caught and beaten or worse. She looked down and saw that her feet were bleeding and leaving tracks in the snow. The snow was falling heavily covering her tracks, giving her hope he wouldn’t find her. She was deeper into the woods and getting tired. She pulled the blanket around her. It was the only thing she grabbed when she ran from home. She couldn’t go on anymore and hoped she was far enough away that she wouldn’t be found. The sun dipped down behind the mountains making the woods darker and she knew she had to find shelter. She saw a lean-to, climbed in, and curled under the blanket falling asleep.
Hoss and Adam Cartwright had been hunting and returned to camp talking, with their rifles resting on their shoulders.

“Hoss, look over there. What is it?” Adam asked pointing to a bump in a lean-to.

“I’m not sure. Let’s check it out.”

The two made their way to the lean-to. Hoss lifted the blanket.

“It’s Sarah Mullins.”

“Is she alive?”

Hoss checked her and she moved but didn’t wake up.

“She’s cold. Let’s get her home.”

Hoss carefully picked her up and they took her to their horses. She woke fully when they got to the horses so Hoss helped her sit in front of him on his horse and he held onto her as they headed home. Adam went to get Doctor Paul Martin when they rode home and Hoss went to the Ponderosa.

“What happened, Hoss?” Ben asked as Hoss came into the house carrying Sarah.

“I don’t know. We found her in the lean-to under the blanket.”

Hoss laid Sarah on the settee where she was now unconscious. A short while later, Adam and Paul walked in the house.

“What happened, Hoss?” Paul asked echoing Ben’s question.

Hoss told Paul about finding Sarah. Paul checked her out.

“She’s lucky to be alive. With the snow and cold temperatures during the night, she could have died. I guess that blanket did some good,” Paul said.

Sarah started to stir and Paul leaned over her.

“Where am I?” she asked groggily.

“You’re at the Ponderosa. What were you doing out in the snow?” Paul asked.

“I…I ran away from home.”

“Why?”

Sarah looked around at the Cartwrights afraid to tell them.

“It’s all right, Sarah you’re among friends,” Ben said softly.

Sarah began to cry. “My step-father killed my mother last night.”

Everyone looked at each other in stunned silence.

“Joe, will you get the sheriff, please?” Ben asked. Joe nodded and left.

When Sheriff Roy Coffee arrived he talked with Sarah.

“I was in the house and I heard Tom and my mother yelling at each other. I peeked out of around the door and saw

Tom hit my mother, then shot her. I screamed and he saw me. He threatened to kill me. I grabbed my blanket, climbed out the window and ran. I was so afraid he’d find me.”

“I’ll get a posse together and find him,” Roy said and left.

Hoss sat by Sarah.

“You’ll stay here and we’ll keep you safe,” Ben promised

“Oh, Mr. Cartwright, I can find another place or even get out of Virginia City,” Sarah replied.

Hoss took her hand. “You’ll stay, Sarah. No arguments,” Hoss said.

Sarah smiled and nodded.

“There’s an extra room upstairs. It’ll be safer there than down in this bedroom,” Ben said.

“Thank you, Mr. Cartwright.” Sarah whispered.

When Roy left the Ponderosa he went to Sarah’s step-father’s home but all he found was Sarah’s mother, Maggie, lying dead in the living room. He sighed and knew she had been telling the truth. He took her body to town and had her buried in the cemetery then he headed back to the Ponderosa. He spoke with the Cartwrights and Sarah once more.

“I buried your mother but I didn’t see Tom anywhere. He may have run off,” Roy said.

“Thank you for burying my mother. I appreciate it. Maybe I should leave the territory and go back east or Canada. Then maybe my step-father can’t find me,” Sarah said worriedly.

“We’ll find him and he will be brought to justice for this, Sarah,” Roy promised.

Sarah gave him a sad smile. Roy tried to smile and left.

A week went by and Sarah was tired of being confined to the Ponderosa. The Cartwrights had kept an eye on her. Nobody had found Tom but they didn’t let their guard down. Hoss spent much time with Sarah. She was interested in the animals around the Ponderosa and Hoss told her all about them. He rarely left her side.

One night, while Sarah was sitting at her window looking out, she thought about her mother and step-father. Tom married Maggie when Sarah was fifteen. Sarah never liked Tom. He had abused her and her mother. Sarah had spent much time at the Ponderosa with the Cartwrights and spent it mostly with Hoss. They were the same age. Ben treated her like a daughter. She had never told the Cartwrights what happened at home but Ben had an idea what was going on. He tried to talk to Tom but Tom became angry for being accused of something he claimed he never did. Ben said nothing more but continued to treat Sarah as one of his own. When Adam came home from college, she spent time with him too. While he taught Hoss how to shoot, she learned too. Sarah felt safe at the Ponderosa then and even now.

Movement caught Sarah’s eyes. She tried to get a better look. The full moon was bright and showed the man clearly. Sarah gasped. It was Tom. She moved back from the window afraid he’d see her. But it was too late, a loud bang from his rifle sounded and the household was aroused. The bullet missed Sarah and she ran out of her room and into Hoss.

“Hoss, it’s Tom. He’s out there,” Sarah’s voice shook with fear.

“Hoss, stay with her. We’ll get him.” Ben followed Adam and Joe down the stairs.

A few minutes later, Joe and Adam returned.

“He’s gone. We looked around but we couldn’t find him,” Adam reported.

Sarah started to collapse but Hoss caught her. She had feared Tom would find and kill her, and she was relieved he was gone.

“It’s all right,” Hoss whispered and walked her back to her room.

The next day, Sarah decided that she would leave the territory and Hoss and Adam said they’d travel with her. They had ridden through a forest when they heard a gunshot and Sarah heard it whistle near her ear and hitting a tree. They jumped off their horses and ducked behind trees. Hoss spotted Tom.

“Give me my daughter!” Tom yelled.

“I’m not your daughter!” Sarah stood and shouted back.

Another shot sounded and Hoss pulled her back down. Tom moved closer to them. Adam and Hoss had their guns drawn but didn’t make a move.

“Give me Sarah,” Tom said.

“No. You’re coming with us to the sheriff. We know what you did to Maggie. Sarah told us all about it,” Adam said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything to Maggie. Sarah did. She and her mother got in an argument about something and I tried to stop them but Sarah shot her mother. She then ran away when I told her I was taking her to the sheriff,” Tom lied.

Sarah stood up angrily.

“You shot her! You got in the argument with her about me. I saw you shoot her with the rifle you have in your hand. You came after me because I watched you kill her!” Sarah yelled.

Hoss and Adam stood by Sarah.

“How can you believe her?”

“Because we have known her and her mother for years before you came along,” Hoss said.

“If you’ll excuse us, we need to be going,” Adam said.

“You won’t be going anywhere,” Tom said pointing his rifle at Adam.

The three watched Tom. Sarah was the first to move. She had had a gun behind her back when she stood and quickly shot it at Tom. The bullet it him in the stomach. Tom swung the rifle on her and shot her before falling. Both fell to the ground and Adam went to Tom while Hoss knelt by Sarah.

“Tom’s dead,” Adam said.

“Sarah’s bad but still hanging on,” Hoss replied.

Adam picked up Tom’s rifle and looked at it then leaned it against a nearby tree. Adam looked at Hoss and Sarah who were talking quietly. Hoss held her tight and then Adam saw her slip away. Hoss pulled Sarah to him and silently cried. Adam looked down and clenched his jaw. He joined his brother and put a hand on Hoss squeezing his shoulder gently. Hoss looked up grateful for his brother’s presence.

“Let’s go take care of this,” Adam said.

Hoss nodded. They took the bodies to town and they were buried in the cemetery two days later. Hoss and Adam told the sheriff what happened. At home they told Ben and Joe what happened. No one spoke of it again. Hoss was heartbroken and kept busy to keep his mind off everything.

Two years later, Joe and Hoss had been hunting. It was spring and the snow was melting. Joe saw something against a tree.

“What’s that?” He asked, heading to the tree.

He got off his horse and looked. Hoss realized where they were and what it was.

“Hoss, it’s a rifle. It’s a Winchester! Probably can’t shoot it with the rust and the handle is really weathered and peeling,” Joe said.

“Joe, put it back,” Hoss whispered.

“What?”

“Put it back,” Hoss said louder.

“Why? This rifle has a story to it. Maybe it belonged to some trapper or hunter,” Joe said excitedly.

“No Joe, it didn’t.”

“How do you know?”

Hoss explained the story.

“This was Tom’s?” Joe asked in disbelief.

“Yes. It should be left there or thrown in the river. Nobody needs it,” Hoss said and rode off.

Joe put it back against the tree and mounted his horse. They rode off in silence.